Talent assessment; Benchmark your existing · Six Degrees Executive

Nick Hindhaugh, Managing Director of Talent Consulting at Six Degrees Executive explains how businesses can remain ahead of the talent curve by implementing thorough and progressive Talent Assessment programs.

Having the right talent in the right roles is critical to business success in a highly competitive market, where organisations are striving to stay ahead, innovate and maintain a competitive advantage. When it comes to making the correct decision on hiring new talent or managing existing talent, many organisations have the right intentions, but they don’t know how to properly assess, quantify and evaluate information or data on people.

“Best in class organisations assess talent throughout the employment lifecycle”

Assessments provide the leadership group with unbiased information and data to help with individual development plans, more effective structuring and succession planning.

The following steps are a common approach we would observe in a talent /capability assessment program:

• Clear situation analysis, including understanding business drivers and strategy.
• Core competency analysis and agreement on critical skills, experience, knowledge and interpersonal skills.
• Clear communication to all stakeholders including process, timeframes, objectives and importantly prescribed benefits.
• A face-to-face assessment of the existing or potential employee where career background, experience and skills are explored in detail.
• Tailored psychometric profiling to gain a deeper understanding of the individual.
• Simulation exercises including role play scenarios to assess leadership behaviours, strategic thinking, communication and presentation skills.
• In-depth 360˚ reference checks.
• Detailed reporting and analysis describing the person’s characteristics, strengths and fit for role as well as developmental needs and longer term potential.
• Feedback and coaching sessions.

Organisations that run an assessment program with a multitude of methods achieve the best results, as the analysis is more in-depth delivering the ability to make better predictions and development insights.

From an employee’s perspective, whilst talent assessment can be a daunting process, it does have clear benefits especially if it enables new employees to start jobs with development plans already in place.

As an employer, a robust talent assessment program throughout the employment lifecycle provides managers with data and analysis to make the right hiring decisions including identification of future leaders, their strengths and blind spots which allows for real career conversations and a solid foundation for ongoing career development.

The analysis lends itself to leadership development, retention and solving the problem of “do we currently have the best talent”?

This allows for clear succession plans and reasons to invest internally in order to develop the next generation of leaders.

For more information please contact Nick Hindhaugh.

Nick Hindhaugh

Managing Director - Talent Consulting

For more information contact Nick on (03) 8613 3522 or visit the Talent Consulting page of our site.

Six Degrees are executive recruitment specialists providing innovative talent solutions to some of Australia’s leading organisations. With offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and a team of over 60 they have services that include Talent Assessment, Pipelining, Executive Search and Specialist Recruitment.